Organic snack-bar brand Kate’s Real Food is pushing into the travel channel with a deal to sell its product in Amtrak cars in the coming months, as it delivers on demand for high protein with a new product line.
By OTA embraces ‘magical’ co-CEO model to ‘take advantage of all the opportunities available to organic’
To expand organic’s market potential, reach and positive impact in the face of increased competition, consumer confusion and political pushback, the Organic Trade Association welcomes industry veteran Matt Dillon to its leadership team as co-CEO with...
Most Americans believe that organic is healthier for people and the planet than conventional, but they also lack a fundamental understanding of the standard and as such give more weight to single-issue label claims when deciding what to purchase – underscoring...
Millennials and younger members of Gen X have tended to be the biggest consumers of organic and natural foods, but now, the youngest generation of adult consumers – Gen Z (ages 18-24) – is beginning to command the category.
The steady growth of Kashi’s Certified Transitional program in the past two years along with positive consumer and retailer response to the protocol shows how paying more for ingredients from farms in the process of becoming certified organic can also...
The number of consumers seeking out and purchasing organic foods or products with clean labels continues to rise, with the products seen as healthier, more nutritious and more environmentally friendly, says a new report.
Sustainable often pops up in marketing to describe how products are made or packaged, and while consumers increasingly buy these products at a premium, some in the natural products industry fear the concept is becoming greenwashed while others say the...
US media have whooped and cheered about organic meal kit delivery service Sun Basket after it raised US$57.8m in funding at a time when door-to-door food box schemes look wobbly.
'We hoped to provide a product that met your high standards for food that fuels an epic life...'
Phenomenal Foods – the Los Angeles-based start-up behind probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva – has called it a day just over two years after launching in southern California.
KRā Organic Sports Drink's commitment to only organic is driving sales and investor interest, says the company's co-founder, with distribution now expanding the brand's footprint to 16 states.
Members of Congress chastise the US Department of Agriculture in a Jan. 17 letter for threatening to withdraw a widely popular final rule passed in the 11th hour of the Obama Administration that would heighten animal welfare standards for organic producers.
The Trump administration has scrapped a rule that would have improved animal welfare for livestock reared under the ‘USDA Organic’ label, a decision farmers want reversed.
Urban Remedy, a plant-based food company specializing in organic ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and cold pressed juices, has closed a $17m series B fundraising round with lead investment from 301 INC, General Mills’ venture arm, and attracted natural products...
“Deeply disappointed” by the US Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to eliminate the new organic standard on animal welfare, stakeholders are taking their case to the mainstream public in an effort to pressure the agency to change its position....
To the “dismay” of the Organic Trade Association and against the vast majority of comments submitted by industry, the USDA proposes to withdraw a final rule outlining new animal welfare standards for organic producers that was passed in the 11th hour...
Hispanic shoppers buy significantly more natural, organic and better-for-you items than the overall US population, which suggests manufacturers in the space could generate even higher sales by targeting the demographic, according to new research from...
Against the vast majority of stakeholders’ wishes, the US Department of Agriculture once again is delaying the widely supported Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices because the department believes the final rule oversteps Congress’ mandate ‘for the...
Despite improved access to organic staples such as milk and salad, consumers still struggle to prepare fully organic meals because they can’t easily find organic “extras” to round out dishes, such as condiments, dressings and dips – something the new...
Proposed legislation seeks to beef-up oversight and enforcement of organic standards after government investigators discovered some US ports fumigated imported product but did not ensure it was not then sold or labeled as organic.
New research published by the Organic Trade Association connecting parenting to increased organic purchases suggests sales of organic could see a significant boost in the coming years as more millennials, many of whom already favor organic, have children.
The Organic Trade Association is suing the US Department of Agriculture for repeatedly and allegedly illegally delaying and threatening to potentially suspend indefinitely the widely popular Organic Livestock and Poultry Production final rule, which was...
General Mills has been hit with a second putative class action lawsuit alleging that shoppers are being misled by ‘natural’ claims on Annie’s salad dressings containing xanthan gum – a widely used thickener and stabilizer produced via microbial fermentation.
Amazon’s decision to tackle Whole Foods ‘whole paycheck’ moniker from day one with a wave of price cuts sends an immediate signal to rivals that “they are now dealing with a competitor that is not afraid to damage profits and margins if it creates long...
Rising sales and household penetration of organic is a double-edged sword for the industry in the US as more Americans have started looking for lower prices, bulk packaging and easier access through direct to consumer channels, according to purchasing...
Americans buy everything online, from books to vacations. But when it comes to groceries, bricks, not clicks, still rule. That was until Amazon struck a deal to buy Whole Foods, and gave everyone a “huge wake up call,” says Door to Door Organics CEO Mike...
Looks may not be everything, but they matter a lot – especially in the produce section, which can be a pivotal driver for foot traffic and subsequent sales throughout the entire store, according to new research from the Food Marketing Institute.
With another infusion of investor funds, Country Archer Jerky Co. is set to make the leap from the natural channel where it is thriving into the conventional and convenience channels, which the CEO says are wide-open for better-for-you snacks such as...
The Amazon/Whole Foods deal has “absolutely rattled food retailing and CPG markets in a way I have never seen in my life,” says the founder of organic meal-kit company Green Chef, who says he has been approached by multiple ‘strategic’ suitors as the...
While the $700m price tag is sizeable for a company generating trailing 12-month revenues of $218m, Campbell Soup’s acquisition of Pacific Foods – best known for its shelf-stable plant-based beverages and organic broths and soups – makes strategic sense...
As the nascent drinkable soup category starts to take shape, newcomer ZÜPA NOMA is looking to carve out its own niche with refreshed packaging that will help its bottles pop on store shelves and better showcase on-trend call-outs such as organic and Whole30...
Dean Foods – best-known for dairy brands such as Dean’s, Dairy Pure and Land O Lakes - has acquired organic juice maker Uncle Matt’s Organic for an undisclosed sum as it seeks to expand its presence in organic market.
Despite pressure created by food inflation and price deflation, sales of organic continue to grow “at a good clip,” with protein, dips and seasoning breaking out “to find their stride” in the market, according to the head of the Organic Trade Association.
As part of a larger strategy to reduce the US deficit, the Trump Administration wants to help the agriculture sector “punch above its weight” by promoting trade, providing an affordable workforce, easing regulatory burdens and including it in the infrastructure...
More than a hundred representatives for the organic industry descended on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Thursday to extol to legislators the benefits of their industry to the US economy and ask for additional funding and help expand organic practices...
The private equity arm of global CPG giant Unilever, called Unilever Ventures, led the $9.2m Series C-2 funding of organic meal kit company Sun Basket.
Right now, hydroponic and indoor grown lettuce account for around 4-5% of lettuce production in the US, but that figure will rise “substantially” in the coming years as more growers prove that water can give soil a serious run for its money, predicts...
Hydroponic and aquaponic farms can keep their organic status – at least for now – following the National Organic Standards Board’s decision April 21 to defer a vote on whether the systems are eligible for USDA certification.
The Organic Trade Association wants to put the breaks on a proposal from the National Organic Standards Board to strengthen the requirements for use of organic seeds because “a few substantive changes are critical.”
Curating the National List of non-organic substances that are allowed in products certified as organic is a core responsibility of the National Organic Standards Board, and as such stakeholders will lobby the USDA advisory board to add and delete several...
To increase supply of organic and avoid the financially challenging three-year transition period necessary to convert conventional farm land, some producers are converting native ecosystems to organic farms – a practice that the National Organic Standards...
Organic stakeholders gathering in Denver this week for the National Organic Standards Board meeting will take another stab at defining the role of hydroponic production in organic, which documents suggest the advisory committee may prohibit.
While President Trump’s nominee for USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue breezed through his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing late last month, he could face a long delay before the full Senate can consider his nomination. But that isn’t stopping...
Annie's sales set to reach $400m in fiscal 2017, says president
While some commentators baulked at the $820m General Mills parted with to get its hands on Annie’s, the brand has gone from strength to strength since the deal closed in late October 2014, with sales set to reach $400m this fiscal year, and household...
There is a “tremendous parallel” between the emerging consumer demand for improved animal welfare in the US and the organic food movement, including notable business opportunities and significant challenges, according to Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey.
Mess-free countertop juicer brand Juicero has seen a five-fold increase in consumer adoption after dropping its price tag from $699 to $399, and is now working on a second iteration that will have a “more attractive” price point, says CEO Jeff Dunn after...
General Mills’ splashy commitment last year to double the number of organic acres it sources from by 2019 not only is a strategic business move to boost sales, but part of a larger effort to “do the right thing,” according to the company’s organic ambassador.
Increased funding for research to improve production tops the organic industry’s wish list of policy actions that it wants legislators and regulators to consider as they begin in earnest the long process of reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which is slated...
Meal kit co Sun Basket raises $15m in Series C financing round
San Francisco-based Sun Basket, one of the fastest-growing players in the burgeoning meal kit delivery market, has raised $15m in a Series C funding round that will enable it to complete work on a third distribution center that will give it access to...
Sales of natural and organic products may be steadily increasing – and even outpacing that of the overall food industry – but three main barriers continue to hold them back from their full potential, suggest new research.
